Star vs The Forces of Evil: Manipulation Behind Trust
by SwiftyFlyer2374
Summary: AU: After the events of "Storm the Castle", Toffee kidnaps an easily manipulable girl named Almana and uses her to his advantage. Will she be able to see through his deception before it's too late or will some new feelings arise? Rated T for violence, suggestive themes, blood, and language.
1. Chapter 1 Part 1

Disclaimer: Star vs the Forces of Evil is owned by Daron Nefcy and Disney. The only thing that I have the copyright to is the character Almana. The character Nova belongs to GrovyleFangirl1997. All other characters and properties are owned by Disney and Daron Nefcy. Reviews, comments, and criticism would be much appreciated.

Chapter 1- Fearful Encounter

Almana's POV

I don't know how long I was out, but I was starting to regain consciousness. I had barely any recollection of anything that had happened. I felt something strapped to my right wrist and I could sense that I wasn't alone. As my eyes opened, I could see that I was seated at a large dining table that stretched several feet at each end. The room appeared as some sort of medieval dining room, with torches lit beside the many doorways, and dark mulberry brick walls strung with flags. Behind me was a large, empty, crystal-like cage. Taking a moment to observe the room and trying to understand how I ended up there, I let out a faint whimper when I turned beside me to meet eyes with my captor. A tall, grayish-blue skinned lizard looking monster with slicked back dark purple hair and bright yellow eyes. For a monster, he was dressed rather classy in a black suit, white undershirt, and red tie. Inside I was beginning to panic, tugging on the strap attached to my wrist and looking up at him with fearful and helpless eyes. Before I could even have a chance to comprehend what was going on, he slowly pushed a glass of water in front of me. He leaned toward me and detached the strap from my arm, to which I leaned back and glanced at him with a puzzled look before he spoke in a deep and low voice. "I'd like to build a foundation of trust, so I'll believe that you won't run off after being released from your restraints." He motioned his hand to usher me to drink, and that's when I noticed that he was missing a finger on his right hand, as the bone and flesh was exposed at the end. "And now I want to see if you will trust me." He said in a calming voice. I hesitated, for all I knew he could have put some kind of poison or drug in the water, and I began to wonder if he had already done anything to me while I was unconscious. Glancing at the water and seeing the condensation droplets slowly slide down the side of the glass seemed to trigger my thirst. It became tempting as my dehydration seemed to grow, not even remembering my last beverage. After a minute or so, I decided to accept what would happen after torturing myself by resisting. Once I had finished and quenched my thirst, he put his hand on my shoulder, causing me to jerk. "Good, at least now we're on a similar level." He crooned with a smirk forming on his face. "Now, follow me." He stood and slid his hand down against my back and escorted me into the next room. I was reluctant to follow him, but seeing no way of escape or even knowing where I was, I eventually caught up to him. I was able to get a glimpse out of one of the windows to tell that it was night outside before another monster approached. He seemed to be some sort of bear-like creature, though he had a horn at the base of his head. Behind him was a large chicken-like creature with a spiked collar around its neck and crossbones replacing its pupils. They were restraining a boy by his wrists as he thrashed and attempted to lunge at them. He took notice of me with a confused look, seeming just as clueless as I was to why we were there. Our captors began to exchange conversation while we looked at each other.

Normal POV

"Master Toffee, we've got the karate boy. What's the next step of the plan?"

"Send the fly to the house as a notice of where he is, for now just place him in the cage. I have some business to attend to beforehand."

Toffee said as he patted Almana's shoulder, making her wince. While the monsters attended to his command with a struggling Marco, Toffee led Almana up a set of stairs and toward a hallway with several doors at each end.

Almana's POV

I took note of the name that the bear monster had uttered, Toffee. It wasn't a name that I really expected from a monster with such a threatening and mysterious appearance. I didn't take much time to think of it once he stopped me to open one of the doors. He stood beside and gestured for me to enter in a gentlemen sort of manner. Once I went into the room, Toffee followed and I could hear the door lock behind me. I felt a cold shiver run through me, seeing how the room was a nearly empty bedroom. Red flags started to race through my mind and I shivered with fearful anticipation of being jumped, which Toffee seemed to take notice of. "I know what you're thinking, and you don't need to worry about that. I'm not the type of monster who would violate a human child like that." He muttered as he caressed his claws through my hair in a playful manner. "You were just brought in this room because I intend on keeping you by my side at all times. Those incompetent morons back there can't be trusted with you. Now just make yourself comfortable for a few minutes." He said as he entered what I assumed was the bathroom. I sat on the side of the bed and noticed a few books laying on the nightstand. 'History of Mewni', 'Wands', and 'Mewni Royal History' to name a few whose title I could read. The others seemed to be in a construed language that I couldn't understand. Grabbing the 'History of Mewni' book, I skimmed through pages and attempted to pass the time. I noticed that some of the pages were bookmarked with papers and sticky notes. Though some words were written in English, most of it was written in the same language that I couldn't comprehend. I could only guess through the pictures that accompanied them. There were images of a castle and some people fighting off monsters. At some point, the monsters fled into the forest only for it to be burnt to the ground by the people. I had gotten to a point of the book where the chapter title card read 'History of the Great Monster Massacre" before Toffee came out of the room. He took notice of the book and glanced at the page I was on. "Ah yes, the book that greatly describes the events of every monsters favourite holiday. We just love it when the mewmans celebrate murdering our families and destroying our homes." He muttered to himself in an aggressive and sarcastic tone. "Now come on, Princess Butterfly will be arriving here any minute." I placed the book back and followed him back into the dining room. This time, the boy that I saw earlier was strapped to a chair inside of the cage. Again, he gave me a confused look as I walked passed him.

"What is someone like you doing here?"I heard him ask, but Toffee ushered me over to the table before I could respond, indicating that he didn't want us interacting. I sat beside him as he sat in the main chair of the table facing the entryway, seeming to anticipate someone's arrival.


	2. Chapter 1 Part 2

Normal POV

Buff Frog ripped the door off of its hinges with little effort and stood aside from the exposed hallway. "Let's go."

"Out of the way!" Ludo muttered as he ran past him to finally return to his castle.

When Star was about to follow, Buff frog was quick to stop her. "Whoa whoa whoa, before you go inside, I must tell you Toffee is not like Ludo. He knows about you, and he does not like your magic. Another thing, the karate boy isn't the only one in there who was captured. There is a girl about your age who was brought in a few hours ago. Before I was fired, I had heard Toffee saying something about a 'personal servant' of his own to Ludo." Star seemed confused, but shook it off and walked inside as her intention on rescuing Marco took priority.

Almana's POV

After a few minutes of sitting in practical silence, I noticed the boy starting to struggle in the cage. "Well, looks like I've had all the fun I can have in here. Oh wait," He put his feet on the small table beside him and spun around in the chair, stopping after a full rotation. "Now I'm done." Toffee didn't respond, he only looked over at the boy with slight irritation in his eyes. "Okay you've got me here, what do you want with me?" Before Toffee could respond, the small fly monster that was perching on his chair interrupted.

"Oh, tell him what you're gonna do to him. Wait 'til you hear this." Toffee shook the fly off of the chair in irritation and walked over to a stand with a mirror on it. He removed his jacket and placed it on the stand before walking over to the cage.

"Look, if you're after the wand, it's harder to get than you think. Lots of people have tried." The boy continued in a mocking tone. I found it interesting how he didn't seem to show any fear, even having a snarky attitude toward our captor. I started to tune out their conversation at that point, and instead observed the room. Some of the other monsters stood guard by the cage and table, causing me to wince when they glared back at me. Most being incredibly large and appearing to be a hybrid of some kind. I jumped slightly when I heard the boy fling a plate across the cage as Toffee offered him some food. He walked back over to the table after muttering,

"You're a disappointment." to the boy and closing the entrance to the cage. The fly monster started stacking small pillows on the chair at a staggering height. Toffee stopped in front of him and his voice became more stern. "What did I say about the pillows? I don't need pillows on my chair, I'm an adult." He picked up the stack of pillows and handed them to the fly, who then flew off with them. Toffee sat back in his chair and glanced at me for a moment. I sulked a bit, still anxious about the whole situation, and fatigue was closely following behind. He pushed a plate with a sandwich on it toward me. "You should eat something, you need to regain some energy for what's ab-." He was interrupted when the fly monster started to come back with the pillows, and Toffee became more assertive. "No!" The fly backed up and flew off.

Normal POV

Star rounded the corner and eventually found the large dining room. She peeked into the room to see Toffee and the girl Buff Frog was talking about sitting at the dining table with various monsters surrounding them. Marco was heavily guarded in the cage beside them. "Marco!" She gasped, nearly shouting. She turned to Ludo and Buff Frog, "Okay, here's the plan. We're going in on the count of one."

"Uh, that is not a good plan."

Star ignored him and cocked her wand like a gun, allowing magic particles to emit from it. "One." She immediately ran into the room and blasted the ground below her to boost her onto the table.

Almana's POV

I got startled when I saw a girl jump onto the table and run towards us. Toffee glanced up at her, "You made it." The girl pulled up a wand and blasted at Toffee, launching him backwards and completely disintegrating his left arm. I only froze as she started blasting at both the cage and the monsters as they charged at her. Though she repeatedly tried to destroy the cage, it never seemed to be fazed by her magic. At some point, she blocked off all of the monsters and walked up to the cage. Her wand glowed at an extreme brightness and the entire cage exploded. I was more impressed than anything, she couldn't be any older than me and was able to pull off something that powerful. When she tried help the boy up, the cage started to repair itself as if it had never been touched. One of the other monsters grabbed her, causing her to struggle. Toffee stood and gripped the edge of the table. "Stop. That's no way to treat our guest of honor." He said calmly even after being shot at. The monster dropped the girl as commanded while Toffee began to regenerate his arm, completely restoring it within seconds. He grabbed a remote device from the table and pressed one of the buttons, causing the cage to start slowly lowering onto the boy. Him and the girl started to panic, trying to push the cage back up to make it stop, but to no avail. While they frantically tried to scrape at the cage, Toffee removed his tie and placed it with his jacket on the stand. When he walked back to his chair, the girl attempted to use her wand on the cage again. "That's not going to work again. That crystal is twice as strong now." Toffee explained as he sat back down. I'll admit I was more threatened by him than before, seeing how he was about to let the cage crush and kill the boy. The girl jumped onto the table in front of us and held out her wand. She glanced at me for a moment before dropping the wand onto Toffee's plate.

"Fine, take it. Now let Marco and-" She paused while looking at me, "-whoever that is go." She seemed to be offering her wand in exchange for our freedom. I was a bit perplexed, considered she didn't know me and yet she wanted to help me just as much as her friend in the cage. Almost immediately after surrendering her wand, a small kappa-like monster jumped onto the table and tried to grab it, but the giant chicken monster snatched him in its beak. He struggled for a bit before Toffee spoke.

"Do you think I'm like Ludo?" He looked back at the chicken, irritated by the struggling sounds, "Just swallow it." With no hesitation, the chicken obeyed and swallowed the small bird monster whole. Toffee passed the plate back to the girl, and she seemed confused. "I don't want your wand. Destroy it." Both the boy and the girl simultaneously said "What?!" in shock. Toffee smiled, "Surprise!" The girl seemed baffled by his request.

"I can't, I don't even know how."

"Yes you do, it's the first spell your mother taught you." The girl had a look of realization on her face, "The whispering spell."

"Exactly, Marco's waiting." Toffee said as he leaned in slightly.

I noticed that the boy was nearly smothered by the cage already. The girl noticed as well, and knelt down to the wand. She started whispering inaudible words into it, causing it to wither and break. Once she completed the spell, a ghost-like unicorn silhouette arose from the wand and spun around her. It whispered something back to her, causing a tear to run down her face. Once it had disappeared she looked up at Toffee, "Now let them go." With no words, Toffee pushed the button on the remote again, making the cage rise back up. The girl jumped off the table and ran inside the cage. I saw her close herself and the boy inside of it. As Toffee stood, he snapped and darted his claws behind him, signaling me to get to his side. As I did, he wrapped his tail around my waist and pulled me behind him. The other monsters started to surround the table.

"Gentlemen, it's been a pleasure-" The wand let out a loud droning noise and began to shake and glow, practically jumping off the plate. The other monsters began to scatter as the wand heated up and glowed brighter and brighter, shooting off sparks and violently shaking as the star in the center of it began to crack. The next thing I knew, there was an ear bleeding explosion, followed by near dead silence. The entire castle had exploded with the wand. I stood and started to brush off the debris, only able to glance around for a moment before Toffee grabbed the back of my shirt and dragged me over to him behind a large crater from the remains. I felt myself slip and he held my mouth shut as I practically fell into his lap. "Shh, stay down." He whispered as I panted fearfully. I could hear the boy and girl talking to each other, seeing that they survived the explosion as well. There were other voices that I couldn't recognize, but they seemed relieved from their tones. Toffee leaned close to me and glared at me intimidatingly, "Don't move, and don't make a sound." He said assertively as he pulled his claws away from my mouth. I nodded silently, rubbing at the indentions his nails made on my face. Eventually everyone seemed to leave as the noise became more and more faint.


	3. Chapter 2 Part 1

Chapter 2- Easing Tensions

Normal POV

King River led Star and Marco back to Mewni with the new cleaved wand in hand. In the back of their heads, they questioned if anything could have survived the explosion. "Marco, do you think that girl is okay? She didn't run when the castle exploded."

"Oh, that's actually a good question. Maybe once we finish explaining everything to your parents, we could go back there and make sure she's okay."

Star looked back at the remains of the castle as it disappeared into the distance and nodded in agreement.

Almana's POV

Toffee retrieved his jacket and tie which both seemed to be unfazed by the explosion aside from a bit of soot. I surveyed the empty plot of land that was once a castle. I was tempted to ask how he managed to survive the explosion while the other monsters didn't seem to, but I was choked up from everything that had happened. I saw a small half-star looking piece glowing on the ground a few feet away, and picked it up. It reflected brightly and had a green aura flashing off of it. I always had a fascination with collecting items like shiny rocks or trinkets left on the street; so I held onto it and put it in my pocket. As I was looking around the rubble, Toffee snuck up behind me and strapped a black nylon collar around my neck. I tensed up from the sudden contact and flinched when the buckle snapped into place. Once it was secure he started to walk off, "Let's go." he stated in a commanding tone. I felt I didn't have a choice considering I had no idea where I was, so I followed a few paces behind him. The sounds of rustling in the bushes and silhouettes rushing through the gaps in the trees unnerved me. I found myself picking up my pace and eventually walking right beside Toffee with only a few inches between us. In a way, I felt a bit safer from the lurking eyes the closer I was to him. Perhaps I was thinking that he'd intimidate other monsters if they tried to jump out and attack me. After what seemed like about twenty minutes of walking, I was able to see a building up ahead. It appeared to be another castle. The outer walls made up of mahogany bricks with dark grey crenellations and spiked towers. Toffee opened the front doors and again stood aside for me to enter first. As I stepped inside, I almost instantly felt the temperature difference. It was definitely warmer as if the heat was on. Toffee placed his jacket and tie on a coat rack and led me into the nearest room. It seemed to be the living area from what it looked like. There was a dark purple chair in front of a black-stained cobblestone fireplace in the center, several bookshelves lined up against the wall, various flags and tribal looking weapons hung on the walls and a black piano in the very back. "Settle yourself in, I need to clean myself up." Toffee said before leaving me in the room as he proceeded upstairs.

Normal POV

As Toffee headed up the stairs, Almana walked around in the main room trying to occupy herself. She noticed that there weren't any other monsters around, assuming that Toffee probably preferred to work alone. She leaned against the chair in front of the fireplace and started to put together her whole situation. "How did this happen?" She muttered to herself under her breath. "...It could be worse really, I could be back home." A weak chuckle left her. She gazed out the window as the light of dawn was becoming more noticeable. "Wonder if anyone has even noticed that I'm gone yet. Then again, how long have I been gone?" Sulking beside the chair, Almana decided to further inspect the collar. The back of the main tag read -Purpose: Submission, Tags: Unclaimed until post-capture-. An engraving in cursive read 'General Toffee' under the 'owner' heading. A small electronic device was attached to the outside of the collar, adding weight to it and occasionally emitting faint beeps or the sound of a shifting lens. She decided to leave it alone, not wanting to damage it in some way that would lead to a consequence.

Almana's POV

While I was examining the collar, Toffee re-entered the room dressed in a clean shirt. He grabbed a book from one of the shelves and sat in the chair. I continued to sit beside the chair, feeling a bit tense from the eerie silence between us aside from the crinkle of the papers being turned. I soon started to feel my exhaustion catch up with me, my eyes straining and everything feeling rather weak. Toffee slid himself to the side of the chair and snapped his fingers to get my attention. "Come up here, I don't want you to fall asleep on the floor." I hesitated, still cautious about what his intentions were, even though he had yet to really do anything. In a way, I assumed it was okay to trust him at that point. I sat beside him but still attempted to keep some distance even with the little amount of room I had to do it with. I unconsciously curled into a ball and rested my head on my knees nervously, not helped when he placed his right hand on my back. "Something bothering you?" He asked without taking his eyes off of the book.

"...Well, this situation is already uncomfortable as it is, and having you get physical doesn't help. No offense..." I managed to say while trying to subtly nudge his claws off of me.

"I know and I'm well aware of trust issues dear. You've only been here for half a day and our first encounter wasn't exactly friendly, but communication between us is going to play majorly in what I have planned. If it helps, if I wanted to harm or kill you, I would've done it already." In a way, I felt more secure hearing that, he had a point. Maybe it was what he said, or that it was becoming uncomfortable to sit in the same position for long, but I eventually found myself shifting and leaning against him. "...So...what are these plans that you have? Why am I involved?"

"You'll see, you're not exactly in the best mental state right now due to your exhaustion from last night." He said as he rested his arm on my shoulder. I sat there with those words trailing in my mind, still clueless on what he wanted from me and why I needed to be in a 'stable mind' for it, but I started to find it harder to stay awake the more I pondered.

Normal POV

Toffee felt Almana relax as she gave in, slowly leaning into him and eventually falling asleep. A sly smirk formed on his face when he saw the shard of the wand glowing in her pocket. His assumption that she'd take it was correct, completing the first step in his plan.


	4. Chapter 2 Part 2

Almana's POV

When I awoke, I was by myself in a large bedroom, laying on a double canopy rosewood bed next to an oriel style window. The pillars of the bed having dragon-like heads and necks carved into the tops as their tails coiled down to the mattress frame. I felt the star shard prick me when I sat up and took it out of my pocket. After placing it on the nightstand beside me, Toffee walked into the room looking as if he'd already been awake for some time. "Seems like you're awake. After you fell asleep earlier, I decided to bring you up here before catching some slumber myself." He sat on the side of the bed in front of me, "You were fidgeting and nearly in tears some time ago, did you suffer through a nightmare?" I drew back and took a deep breath before responding.

"Yeah...it happens a lot. You'd think that I'd get used to it after a few weeks...or...years." I sighed and massaged the temples of my forehead. "...You know, parents are supposed to take care of their kids, and not make them do everything because they had to have that last drink. I've lost so much sleep from having to be the damage controller." I muttered in frustration. "It's actually kind of nice not having to worry about that at least." Toffee could tell that I was holding back, and ushered me closer to him.

"Listen, I know what's been happening back at home and I'm offering you a choice. You can go back and continue to live like that, or you can stay here and belong to me." He asked with a sly smile on his face. Most would probably say that the right choice is obvious, but everything inside me was saying otherwise.

Normal POV

A few minutes of silence passed as Almana was considering her options. Toffee leaned in close to her face, and his voice became low and soft. "Think about it, you've been wanting to escape that hellhole for years. This may be your one way out." He held her chin up with one claw, "Isn't that what you've wanted all this time?" Almana shivered and her eyes teared up. She almost knocked Toffee backward as she suddenly tackled him in an embrace.

Almana's POV

I think I had finally snapped at that moment. I gripped Toffee's jacket tightly and let out everything that I had been bottling up for so long. "I think that you've made your decision."

"I'm sorry, I just..." With a sniffle, I slowly reeled back and sat beside him, trying to clean myself up from unloading my emotions onto him. "I can't mentally take it if I go back, it's only a matter of time before it gets worse and I can't control it."

"Relax, that'll be the last of your problems now that you're with me." Toffee stood and turned to me, "Now follow me, your main task is at hand." I less hesitantly got up and followed him, feeling I could trust him more.

Normal POV

With a smirk, Toffee grabbed the star shard from the nightstand before leading Almana out of the room. Meanwhile, Star and Marco had walked back to the remains of Ludo's castle. Star walked ahead and speculated the area while Marco folded his arms in doubt. "I doubt we're going to find any sign of survival here Star, even if that girl made it out don't you think she'd be long gone by now?"

"She's a human in a different dimension, really where is she gonna go?" Star turned to Marco and asked in a curious voice, "Did you get to know anything about her while you two were captured? Maybe that could help."

"Not really, Toffee was always near her and didn't let me talk to her. She seemed like a nervous wreck though. You know, I think tha-"

"Hold that thought, Marco." Star interrupted as she slid down a small crater. She saw some small and shiny objects scattered around the area. The number of them increased as she continued walking, and some were larger than others. "Did you find something Star?" Marco followed Star into the crater and observed the objects. "Wait, don't those things usually go to electronics or something?" He asked while looking around. Star grabbed his face and turned him forward.

"Like a phone?" She said as they both saw a broken phone a few feet ahead. It looked as if it had been thrown since the only damage to it was that a few pieces missing and the screen was smashed. Star and Marco turned to each other "There's no way that the explosion did that. It would've been obliterated like everything else."

"Seems like someone wants to make sure someone else doesn't have any way to...contact anyone."


	5. Chapter 3 Part 1

Chapter 3- Master's Bidding

Almana's POV

"If you can manage to befriend Princess Butterfly to the point where she wants to introduce you to her parents, you can have access to the royal castle. The king and queen will put anything aside for their daughter's sake. I can initiate my warning strike once you're able to get them all in one room." Hesitantly I intervened with a question that had been on my mind from practically minute one, "...Is there a reason why you want me specifically to do this or was I just the first kid you came across to kidnap?"

"No, you weren't just a random chance. You humans are easy to read, you especially dear. From what I understand, most humans seem to live by a phrase, 'there are some things worse than death'. Something you don't abide by being someone who fears the unknown. Correct me if I'm wrong but, you'd rather endure whatever comes your way than lose your life, right?" I nodded and started to get a feel for where he was going with that. Toffee stood and leaned close to my face, "One final thing to note, no one is to know that you have any association with me. I'd like for it to seem like I didn't survive that explosion. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yessir."

Normal POV

Star had trouble concentrating in school the next day, the broken phone and the whereabouts of the girl were still fresh in her mind. Marco took notice of Star's unusually quiet behavior and decided to talk to her about it. Once the final bell rang, Marco caught up with Star at the bus stop. "Hey Star, you okay?"

"Yeah, I guess. I'm just-" Star paused and looked toward the end of the street. A look of bafflement appeared on her face, "Marco, am I seeing things?" Marco then became confused and looked in the same direction as Star. They saw Almana leaning against the wall next to the road. "Impossible." Star whispered as she started walking down the street, and Marco soon followed. They stopped a few feet away from her, "Hey, by any chance are you that same girl that was captured with me by a bunch of monsters?" Marco asked. Almana barely nodded and avoided eye contact with either of them. "Yup, that's her alright." Marco said with a sneer. "How'd you make it out of there?"

Almana shrugged, "...Does it really matter?"

"It kind of does, especially since Toffee never left you alone when we were there. Did he...do anything to you?" Marco replied in a snarky tone. Almana drew back slightly, and Star took notice. "Marco, cool it with the questions. Maybe she's still bothered by what happened. I mean it's not like she encounters monsters on a regular basis like us." Star turned to Almana, "Anyway, how about you come over to our house for a while and we can talk about this? It's always great to let loose after something like that."

"Sure...I guess."

"Great, come on let's go." Star said in an enthusiastic voice as she started to walk back to the bus stop. Marco and Almana soon followed behind her and the three stood beside each one another as the bus pulled up. "So, what's your name anyway? I'm Star and he's Marco."

"I'm...Almana." As they took their seats on the bus, Star took notice of the collar around Almana's neck. She nudged Marco, "Is it normal on Earth for people to wear those?"

"Not that I know of, but maybe it's just a style choice or something." Once they got to Marco's house, the three headed inside to unwind. "So why did Toffee capture you anyway?" Marco asked with a raised brow. "I don't see what he'd want from you."

"...I don't know, maybe to use me for ransom or something."

"Still, the way he acted with you was...strange." Almana didn't respond that time, only shrugged and went to catch up with Star.

Almana's POV

I was starting to become worried about the questions Marco kept asking, especially since I didn't really have an answer for most of them. Luckily, Star managed to talk him into backing off for a while before he could get the chance. She led me to her room where she sat on her bed whilst I grabbed a nearby chair. Star was quick to get a conversation going once she sat down. "He can be a little wordy sometimes, but you get used to it."

"What about you Star? You haven't really told me about yourself with Marco going off. How about you tell me a little about you." I said in a sheepish tone. She seemed to be more than happy to talk based on the way her expression lit up. "Well, I don't know where to start. There's a bunch of things that Ponyhead and I did, all those times I've dealt with Ludo and a ton of monsters, crazy things Marco and I have been through, there's-." She explained with a grin before I interrupted her listing.

"Well, we could just talk about something simple. What's your family like for a magical princess anyway? Must be great."

"Well there's not much to say about my parents, they're like anyone else I guess. Why do you ask?"

"Just to make conversation, but I digress, what would rather talk about then?"

"I don't know, honestly I'm still shocked that you made it out of Mewni all by yourself."

"...Why?"

"Well I mean aside from getting through the monsters that inhabit the West side, you'd need dimensional scissors or something in order to return to Earth. How did you-" Suddenly the door flung open and Marco nearly fell face first onto the floor. "Marco, were you listening in on us?" Star asked.

"No...I just need to get something." He said as he got back to his feet. He fiddled with the drawers for a moment before glancing at the window, noticing the dusk approach. "Hey Almana, it's getting kind of late. Don't you have to go home soon or something?"

"I...I guess, I'll see you later though Star." With that, I left and waited around the corner of the house. After a few minutes, Toffee came through a dimensional portal and glanced at me with an expectant look on his face.

"How did it go?" He asked in a soft voice.

"...She seems trusting of me at the moment sir."

"Good, I knew you wouldn't be one to disappoint." He stated as we stepped into the portal and back to his castle.

Normal POV

The weather had become noticeably colder as night drew in, taking its toll on Toffee. Though he was a monster, he still had the attributes of most Earth reptiles. The cold weather restricted his movement making him rather weak and vulnerable, while also causing an uncomfortable feeling to run through his body during the worst of winters. A feeling similar to that of when your leg falls asleep and gets the pins and needles feeling rendering you immobile until it wakes back up. Though this was just a chilly night, he was still feeling stiff and irritated. He sent Almana upstairs as he lit the fireplace and sat himself in front of it to mend his body temperature.


	6. Chapter 3 Part 2

Almana's POV

After a few hours of being back at the castle, I settled in a smaller bedroom not far from Toffee's. It didn't last long though, I awoke in a cold shiver soon after falling asleep. After failed attempts at falling back asleep, I got up and wandered around the castle for a bit before hearing the fireplace still crackling in the main room. Toffee was sitting in front of it and had an uneasy look on his face. In a way, I guess I felt bad for him. I wasn't much of a fan of the cold either, being born and raised where it's usually hot all year. I approached slowly and he eventually noticed me standing beside his chair as I took in the warm air of the fire. "What are you doing out of bed?" He asked me in a tired voice.

"Sorry if I disturbed you sir, but I'm having a hard time sleeping with the wind picking up and bringing the cold in."

"Then feel free to join. You can consider this a reward for following through with your requests today." I half-smiled as I sat alongside side him. He seemed to take kindly to the excessive body heat that I threw off, and soon both of us were sufficiently warmed.

Normal POV

Toffee had an evil grin on his face, knowing that Almana had become used to him to where she was comfortable enough to be this close to him. He had gotten her to lower her trust walls and could now use her fragile mind to his advantage. Once she gains access to the royal castle and provides a distraction for him, he could go full force against the entire kingdom of Mewni. After he had warmed up enough, Toffee brought Almana back upstairs and into the room she had chosen earlier. When he placed her down, she gripped his hand, opened her eyes slightly, and smiled back at him for a moment. He returned with a half-smile before exiting the room and heading into a large control room. A large screen was displayed in the center with several monitors showing on it. Toffee focused on one of them that was looking through someone's window and at their television. A news broadcast was talking about a missing child, Almana.

"Still our top story, reasons why a young girl has seemingly gone missing are still unknown. She was reported missing when she didn't make it home after school hours just three days ago. Family members say that she wasn't one to run off or stay out, and they don't know anyone who may have had a motive to kidnap her. Friends and neighbours are currently under investigation to possibly find any leads."

The screen switched off, "So they finally noticed that she's gone." Toffee muttered to himself with an irritated tone. "Good luck trying to get her back when she's not even in the same dimension anymore." He scuffed, "As long as I can keep a trusting relationship with her, she'll easily follow like a lamb to the slaughter." He said as he held out the star shard, and grinned when it began to glow. "It's only a matter of time before the pieces start to fall into place." Back at the house, Marco was expressing his opinion of Almana to Star.

"Don't you find it the least bit suspicious that she managed to survive that explosion almost completely unscathed? I'm starting to think that she's not the only one who survived that explosion."

"What do you mean?"

"I told you that Toffee kept her by his side instead of just putting her in the cage with me. I think he wanted her for something other than just a ploy to get the wand out of you. Unlike me, she wasn't your friend or anything before that, so what would he want her for?" Star pondered for a moment, seeing Marco's point.

"Alright, I'll ask her if she knows anything about that the next time I see her."

Almana's POV

When I woke up, I heard Toffee rustling around in the next room. Out of curiosity, I went to investigate. He was sitting in a room in front of a large screen with smaller monitors surrounding it, though he only had one of them turned on. As I approached, I could see that the monitor that he was focused on was looking at a castle that resembled the one from the book I scanned through. "Later today, you're going to meet up with Princess Butterfly again to further gain her trust. The boy is becoming wary of you, keep that in mind and try to put his suspicion to rest before he figures anything out." Toffee instructed while keeping his attention on the monitor.

"Yessir, but if I may ask, what are you doing in here?"

"Some things that are not of your concern at the moment, though the time will come."

Normal POV

Almana nodded and let herself out of the room to go meet up with Star. Grabbing Toffee's dimensional scissors, she made her way back to Earth to wait near the school. While walking, she saw a patrol car turning the corner at the end of the road. Almost unconsciously, she ducked into the alleyway until it drove off. It was then that she started to realize that she didn't have the will to escape. Part of her thought it was because of the fear that Toffee would come after her with fatal intentions if she decided to make a break for it. Though, another part of her felt that even if she didn't have to worry about being hunted down, she'd feel...guilty about it. Toffee hadn't done anything to really harm her, and she even considered the past two nights of sleeping alongside him rather nice. She wanted to experience that feeling again. She took a deep sigh before getting back on the sidewalk to continue heading for the school.


	7. Chapter 4 Part 1

Chapter 4- Working for the Enemy

Almana's POV

Later on, I met up with Star and headed back to Marco's house. "Marco should be busy with his karate practice, so we shouldn't have to worry about him today." She explained to me as we went up to her room. "So, where did we leave off on yesterday?"

"You were telling me about your parents and life back on Mewni." Star made herself comfortable in a chair beside me, and her usually smiling expression had changed to one of annoyance.

"One thing first, Marco mentioned how you weren't kept in a cage like he was, but rather being dragged around by Toffee before I showed up. Do you know for sure if he wanted to use you for something, or you know...he already did beforehand?"

I was a bit unsure where she was going with that, "...Not really. He didn't hurt me or anything, so I'm not sure what he wanted from me exactly."

"So do you know if he survived the explosion afterward?"

"I don't think so, I didn't really see anyone in the area after that." Star seemed relieved and opened the door to her room, leading to Marco falling forward from leaning on it.

"See Marco, nothing crazy happened back there. Now can you stop questioning our new friend?" Once Marco stood himself up, he walked over to me.

"Alright, I guess I was wrong. Can you blame me though?"

"Whatever don't worry about it." Star ushered Marco to leave.

"Okay, we're all friends now. Marco, please see yourself out." Star walked back over to me, "Anyway, now we can actually talk."

Normal POV

Unbeknown to both Star and Almana, Toffee had started watching and listening to them as they talked. The electronic device attached to the collar had a tracking device, microphone, and camera built into it; all of which were displayed on the main monitor. He sat back as Star so willingly spilled information onto Almana as if not needing the prompt to. Star went on to talk about the relationship that she had with her mother. "I feel like I'm the total opposite of my mom. I know running the kingdom of Mewni is serious and all, but she's so no-nonsense about everything. She wants me to do the same when I finally become queen. She'd kill me if she knew that I've actually kinda befriended one of Ludo's monsters."

Toffee scuffed at that remark, "That's putting it lightly." He rolled his eyes and continued to concentrate on the conversation.

"Why do you think she'd be that extreme?"

"I think it's because there's some kind of past that has to do with trying to settle things between Mewmans and monsters. Some past queens have even abandoned us to join them and were ridiculed as traitors."

"You sound unsure."

"Well I am, a lot of things I'm told are so vague. You'd think I should know these things when I'm the next in line to govern everything, but every time I ask it's always 'you're too young to know' or 'that's not something we discuss, Star." Almana decided to initiated with her instructions from Toffee.

"Your parents sound...interesting, to say the least. Maybe I should meet them at some point. You know, get to know the...better side of Mewni without being held captive and all."

Star was quick to respond, "You know, they're probably not doing anything today, I could show you around Mewni and introduce you now if you want."

"Isn't it a little...nevermind." Almana decided to just go with it as Star grabbed her dimensional scissors off of the table and awaited a sign of approval. "Sure, let's go." Star immediately sliced the scissors through the air and opened a portal in the center of the room. The two stepped through and stood in front of the entrance of the Mewnian castle. Toffee switched off the monitor, reeled his chair back, and headed out of the room.

Almana's POV

When we entered the castle, Star's mother was already walking by and noticed us. "Star, what are doing here so unexpectedly? Did you have any luck in finding the missing piece of the wand?" She asked hastily as she approached us. She glanced at me for a second, "And who is this that you've brought with-" She paused and stared at my collar with a panicked look on her face. "...Star, I need to have a word with you." She quickly ushered Star into a hallway, leaving me in the entrance way.

Normal POV

"Mom, what's the problem?" Star asked in concern as her mother became more distressed.

"Star, what is that type of collar doing on a human like her?"

"What do you mean? What's wrong with it?"

"We've been seeing monsters use those types of collars as spyware devices."

"...Ok, but how do you know that it's one of those?"

"Why else would a human be wearing something that's usually meant for pets? Besides, Earth collars don't have electronics attached to them like that."

Star's eyes widened in sudden realization, "Well, she was captured by this one monster a few days ago. He might have put it on her."

"Who, Ludo?"

"No-" Just then, one of the castle's guards let out a loud scream from outside. Moon and Star rushed over to the nearest window to see the guard holding his slit throat and stumbling from blood loss.


	8. Chapter 4 Part 2

Almana's POV

Star and her mother came running back into the main room as the screaming from outside dissipated. Star's mother grabbed the wand from Star and directed it toward me with an enraged look on her face, "What did you do you?!" I didn't respond as I froze up in the moment.

Star tried to get involved, "Mom, she's not working for any monsters. She's not a sp-"

"Star, did you not see what just happened out there? It's no coincidence that one of our guards got attacked right after she showed up. She's clearly working for someone."

Star tried to step between us, "Why would a monster even use a human against us?"

"You know how they are, they'll go to unspeakable levels to overtake us." Star's mother cornered me into the wall, "I'll do whatever it takes to protect this kingdom, even if it means-" Suddenly a blade came flying toward us and knocked the wand out of her hand. Both items scraping across the floor a few feet away. We both turned to see Toffee standing by the entrance of the castle.

Normal POV

"I suggest that you leave her out of this Moon." He stated as he revealed a large khopesh weapon. He snapped his fingers in a commanding way to bring Almana to his side. Star attempted to stop her by grabbing her arm, but she pulled away aggressively.

"Wha-why?"

"...I...owe him, I'm sorry Star." Almana muttered as she ran up to Toffee and embraced him.

Almana's POV

I was fearful in the moment and felt a semblance of protection from Toffee. Though he returned the hug, his grip tightened slightly and his tone deepened, "Don't expect me to save your ass every time you get into something, you're lucky that you provide a use to me." I nodded in understanding while trying to calm down.

"And to think that only those who bore the mark of the spade would submit to the likes of a monster." Star's mother said in an aggressive tone.

"I'm not the one who was just threatening a human child based on a petty assumption, so who's really the monster here Moon?" Toffee stated as he ushered for me to get behind him. I could see the betrayal and confusion in Star's eyes as she glared at me, along with her mother.

"What could Toffee possibly have done that makes you think that you owe him anything?"

Star's mother quickly changed her expression to one of shock, "Star, how do you know who he is?"

"Because he's the one who kidnapped her and Marco the other day."

There was silence for a moment before Star's mother glared back at me and Toffee, "That explains it, using a meek child as a pawn in your manipulation game. Honestly, I never thought that you'd stoop to such a low level."

"Really? Because according to you, monsters will do anything to gain the upper-hand against you mewmans because we're just primitive and mindless killers. When you live by that logic, it's no wonder that some of your own have even sided against you in the past."

Normal POV

Some guards started to emerge from the corridors in the middle of Moon and Toffee's confrontation. One of them leaned toward Moon, "Shall we take aim, madam?"

"No, it would be a waste." She directed as she drew her attention to Star and motioned for her to grab the wand.

Toffee noticed the suggestion between them and was quick to act, "Now!" Almana gunned for the wand and caught Star by surprise when she slammed her into the wall to get to it.

"Seize her!" Moon called to the guards. Almana managed to snatch the wand from the ground, and as with every holder of the wand, it transforms to its wielders personality type. It formed into what seemed like a ball and chain based wand. The base colour of the wand turned black while the inner shell turned light grey. The star switched into a rosewood pink heart that appeared broken even if both pieces were present. The wings on the sides changed into what looked like chain links. The crown and butterfly pieces also turned into chains, though they were opened like broken chains. Once it took on its new form, it involuntarily fired off a bright blast toward the guards. Almana stood in shock for a moment trying to digest all that had just happened. While everyone was distracted by the wands reaction, they failed to notice Toffee slowly approach Moon.

Star finally turned to see him and screamed, "Mom, behind you!"


	9. Chapter 5 Part 1

Chapter 5- Living in the Past

Almana's POV

When Star shouted, the guards and I turned to see Star's mom just barely catch Toffee's khopesh when he went for a swing. The guards were about to intervene when the wand fired off a barrier in front of them, blocking them from the scuffle. Star ran up to me but forced herself to stop when I turned and pointed the wand toward her. "Almana what are you doing?"

"Back up Star, I have no idea how this thing works but whatever happens, I'll be sure that it happens to you."

"What has gotten into you?"

"Me?! Did you forget the fact that if it wasn't for Toffee, your mother was about to straight up kill me?"

"Why are you defending him?"

"...I...I owe him alright."

"What are you talking about?!"

Normal POV

Star and Almana's bickering was paused by Moon slamming Toffee into the wall, pinning him. "Just like old times isn't it? Only this time you don't have that monster sympathizer Nova to help you."

"You seem to enjoy exploiting the absence of one of your own."

"She wasn't one of us, not after you monsters tainted her and turned her into another Eclipsa." Almana noticed that Star's expression indicated that she was just as clueless as her about what they were talking about as she was. King River entered from one of the corridors, finally noticing what was going on. Being the hysterical monster slayer that he was and seeing that his wife was in potential danger, he grabbed a spear-like weapon and charged in their direction. Moon caught on to River's aggressive approach, and let Toffee go for him to receive the blow of the spear. Just as River took aim in a sprint, he was stopped in his tracks and held in place by a blast of magic. Moon and Star slowly turned to Almana as she glared at them.

"Back the fuck up." She demanded. Seeing how the power of the wand was capable of killing River if used to do so, Star and Moon fearfully obliged. Once they made their distance, Almana's expression went from that of aggression to one of submission as she approached Toffee. With her mood change, the magic barrier blasts that held back River and the guards weakened and shook, but still remained.

Moon scowled, "I see it now, she's just like Eclipsa and Nova, monster-loving wretches. Do you honestly think that you're going to be able to replace that traitorous little hellion?"

Almana's POV

Star's mother seemed to strike something personal with Toffee. He nudged me away from him, wielded his khopesh, and began to approach her. I slowly started to follow him, "Sir, what are yo-"

"Stay out of this." He muttered under his breath.

"But what are you do-"

"Don't worry about it." He said in a slightly more aggressive tone.

I grabbed at his arm, "Sir please I just-"

"I said stay out of it!" I know now that I should've listened to his warnings because when he went to push me back, his claws sunk into the left side of my face. I let out a shriek of the pain and drew back. Toffee immediately turned to me with a look of concern. Because it was his right hand with the missing finger, the strike left two gashes on my face. I whimpered and felt tears starting to blend with the blood that ran down my cheek. While I was distracted by my injury, the magic barriers that I blasted completely collapsed. It took a moment for the guards and Star's dad to settle before they started after Toffee again. Through my pain, I held up the wand, concentrated, then fired. A dome formed around me and Toffee, blocking everyone off from us.

Star's mother pressed against the dome, "What did you just do?" I didn't respond, only glaring at her with pure anger in my eyes. "After what he just did to you, you're still defending him?!"

"It doesn't matter!" I tried to shout but winced from the pain. Toffee took notice and approached me. I tried to look up at him, but my face was extremely sensitive to any movement or expression change.

"Easy, don't strain yourself." He said softly as he kneeled.

"Please...can we just go?" I pleaded with him. He pondered for a moment, glancing at the dome as if he didn't really have a choice.

Eventually, he let out an irritated sigh, "Fine." I felt relieved to some extent. I used the wand to carve a path that led to the front doors of the castle, while still remaining covered by the dome. Once we reached the entrance, I glared back at Star before disabling the barrier and throwing the wand back in her direction.

Normal POV

Star stood motionless for a moment, before slowly picking up and transforming the wand back to her own. She had a lot of thing going through her mind and didn't say a word as she returned to Earth. Marco was laying on the couch stuffing his face with nachos when Star came through a portal. "Where have you been all day, and where's Almana?" He asked before seeing the distraught on her face, "Are you okay?"

"...She's...she's working for Toffee."

"What?" Marco gasped, almost choking. Star sat beside him and started to explain what happened.


	10. Chapter 5 Part 2

Almana's POV

When we got back to the castle, Toffee assisted in mending my facial wound. He handed me a rag with some warm water and peroxide doused on it, "This should prevent any infection, though it may sting like Hell." I nodded and padded the rag on the scratch, flinching a few times from the pain. Toffee leaned against the counter, "You know I didn't mean to do that to you right?"

"I know, it was my fault. I should've backed off, it's just that I was...worried."

"Worried?" He asked.

"...I...didn't want anything to happen to you. I guess...I've grown more fond of you that I thought."

He scoffed, "That wand is the only thing that could really do any harm to me." He said as he glanced at the missing finger on his right hand. "Even then, perhaps I should've informed you of the fact that I'm immortal."

"...What? Really?" I lit up in shock and amazement.

"Lizard monsters like me can indefinitely regenerate, making us practically invincible to the mewman's magic. At least that's what we thought." I nodded respectfully, still intrigued to know more but not wanting to push my luck with him sounding irritated. I went back to rinsing out the wound to occupy my thoughts from it while Toffee finished cleaning himself up.

Normal POV

Star and Marco stepped through a dimensional portal and started wandering around through the depths of the forest, looking for where Toffee and Almana could be. "Tell me again why this couldn't wait till morning?"

"Marco we can't just leave Almana alone with Toffee, who knows what he could do to her."

"How do you even expect to find them?" As the two stepped through some dead trees, the castle came into view and the two stood in silence for a moment.

"I'm gonna put my money on that one." Star noted as she started to walk up to it.

"So...now what?" Marco asked as Star used her wand to construct a grappling hook.

"We're going to see exactly what's going on here, I still don't buy that Almana would so easily side with someone like Toffee." She said as she started to scale the wall and prompted Marco to follow.

"For the record, I thought that something was up about her from the start. Maybe it's easier than you think, I mean she's so docile and sensitive. He probably knew that and took advantage of it for his own gain."

"Well I don't know about you, but I'm gonna get her out of this."

"After what she did earlier?"

"Toffee could've threatened her into doing what she did, she's still my friend." Star stated as she eventually got to a window that looked into the main room where Almana was. She was resting in the chair in front of the fireplace, soon approached by Toffee. He stirred her awake and starting talking to her, though Star and Marco couldn't hear what he was saying. Marco managed to get a glimpse through the window, only to cringe at the sight of the scratch mark.

"Geez, she forgave him for that?!"

"Trust me, it was a lot worse earlier."

"Ugh, who knows where his claws have been, that's not going to scar over well."

"Marco, for once can you put aside your health concerns and help me with this?" Star groaned as she tried to hold open the window. Once Marco finally got the hint, he took over with holding it open while Star aimed her wand through it. "We've got one shot at this, if I blasted his arm off once, I can do it again." Star took the shot, only for the window to suddenly shatter from the impact.

Almana's POV

Once the window pretty much exploded and glass scattered around the room, Star and Marco jumped down and readied for another fight. Toffee approached them while looking over the damage, "If you're going to drop in unannounced, you could've at least brought a gift." He said in a sarcastic manner, "Have you come to finish what we started earlier?"

Star was quick to aim her wand and take a step back, "Not exactly, we've come to save our friend."

"Friend? I highly doubt that she wants anything to do with either of you." Toffee stated as he glanced back at me, "Isn't that right dear?"

"Almana don't listen to him, we can get you out of here and away from him. You don't have to bend to his will, we'll take you back with us where it's safe." Star exclaimed in desperation, "I mean, who would you really trust with your life, this monster who's kidnapped you and did that to your face, or us, your friends?" I didn't need a lot of time to decide, I walked up to Toffee and stood by his side confidently.

"We never were friends Star, you should've gotten that earlier."

"Look I know that Toffee influenced you to do that, you'd never do what you did otherwise."

"How do you know? We've known each other for four days, you don't know what I would've done otherwise."

Marco intervened, "And Toffee does?! You're standing here defending him like you love him or something when you've only known him for…" He paused as if he had just realized what came out of his mouth. I became a little red in the face which seemed to prove something to Marco as he stood in stunned silence for a moment. "...You're kidding right?"

Star interjected, "Almana please, just tell us why you're defending him like this."

"...Like you would understand, you have no idea what I've had to go through for years. You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth and have nothing to worry about because everything is just handed to you. Do you know what some of us would give for that luxury? Instead, we go about our lives allowing our pent-up emotions to build until we one day find ourselves taking a long walk off a short bridge. Toffee's taken me out of that."

"Sure, he may have taken you out of a bad situation, but he only dropped you into another one!"

"This is different, he hasn't hurt me!"

"Have you seen your face?!"

"That was a fucking accident, caused by you!" I shouted as I lunged at Star, shoving her to the ground with anger-fueled adrenaline. I think I may have hit something deep with Star, because she only stood and stared at me with an indistinguishable expression. Her eyes were a bit glassy as she held herself back. She eventually collected herself and pulled out her dimensional scissors.

"...Fine, but when he finishes using you and ends up hurting you, you only have yourself to blame." She stated as she and Marco stepped through the portal and left. I needed to take a breath, feeling relieved but also exhausted from venting. Toffee reassured me and we headed upstairs for the night. I stopped him before he went into his room,

"Toffee, could I ask you something? It's kinda been on my mind for the past few hours now."

"What is it?"

"I know you might not be up for it and if you want I'll gladly back off from it but, who is Nova?"


	11. Chapter 6 Part 1

Chapter 6: Reviving Memories

Normal POV

Toffee paused and took a moment to respond. "That's...a long story. Besides what significance does that have to you?"

"Like I said, I'll respect your privacy if you wish. I was only asking because when Star's mother brought up that name, it seemed to set you off. Which led to..." She paused, grazing softly over the scratch wound. Toffee sighed, tapping his claws along the frame of the door as he pondered his options. He gestured for Almana to come into his room with him.

"I'm sure you can tell that monsters and mewmans have a history, an extensive and violent one. I've had more than just your blood on my hands." He snickered, glancing at his folded up battle armor sitting on a dresser. Shoulder pads and khopesh resting on top of it. "Specifically, Moon's mother." He added. "She thought a peace treaty between monsters and mewmans would put an end to the war, but there is no forgiving and forgetting all of the blood that their kind has shed. Moon of course, didn't take that loss very kindly." He toyed with the exposed bone on his missing finger. Almana couldn't help but stare, previously avoiding it out of respect. "She was going to set an example with me and my army, but Nova intervened before I could lose more than just my finger. She was already hated by the mewmans for sharing the same spade mark as Eclipsa. Ever since they rewrote their own history, that mark has been a walking reminder of their misconduct. Their whole dynasty has been built around lies. They feared that Nova would become another monster lover and become a threat to their power. They were right."

"...You? So you are capable of love." Almana muttered under her breath.

"Nova wanted to join my army, refusing to even be referred to as a mewman anymore. She had potential, she could finish what Eclipsa had started. As time went on, I did grow more fond of her rather than seeing her as just another soldier. It took until she admitted having similar feelings before we...expressed it. Of course, as soon as anything goes well for a monster, mewmans feel obliged to intervene. Nova tried to fight them, using a little dark magic of her own to defend us. Then just like Eclipsa, they crystalize her." Toffee growled, baring his teeth slightly.

Almana's POV

"I'm...sorry."

"Don't be." Toffee glared at the star shard, which looked...different. There was some kind of formation around the star that magic particles seemed to be filling in. Almost like it was transforming but just really slowly. "I've already lost a part of myself to their magic, it's not happening again." I sat beside him and offered my hand, grazing his shoulder with a bit of compassion. As his tension went down, I felt more comfortable to lean on him and lock arms. After a few minutes, sympathetic caressing switched to tense gripping as I clung to Toffee's shirt. "Something wrong?"

"...Was I too hard on Star back there? I've never lashed out like that before. I think I'm turning into my father."

"What do you expect when you pent it up for years on end? You want to unleash all that energy," He gripped my face and turned it toward the window, showing the castle in the distance. "and I just want to control where you aim it." I nodded, gripping his hand when he attempted to pull it away.

"...Is it okay if I...sleep in here with you tonight?" Again, Toffee glanced at the shard before answering.

"If you must." He seemed annoyed, making me partially regret asking. I figured it was already too late to change my mind. He stood and walked toward the other side of the bed, taking out a remote and aiming it at the lights above it. They started to glow an orange colour and emit some heat. I pulled myself onto the bed and curled into a fetal position as close to the edge as possible. Toffee already seemed agitated from my request so I wanted to keep my distance. I figured he'd kick if I got too close. I felt the bed compress as he laid down, letting out a long sigh before the room went silent. The only noise came from the faint humming bulbs in the heaters, substituting as white noise as I let myself drift.


	12. Chapter 6 Part 2

Currently under revision and editing.


	13. Chapter 7 Part 1

Currently under revision and editing.


	14. Chapter 7 Part 2

Currently under revision and editing.


	15. Chapter 8 Part 1

Currently under revision and editing.


	16. Chapter 8 Part 2

Currently under revision and editing.


	17. Chapter 9 Part 1

Currently under revision and editing.


	18. Chapter 9 Part 2

Currently under revision and editing.


	19. Epilogue

Currently under revision and editing.


End file.
